Chapter 90: He Smiled

Qiu Zhiheng followed Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying to the He family's old mansion.

Upon reaching the mansion's entrance, Qiu Zhiheng immediately stopped, shielding Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying behind him.

He quietly observed the residence, discerning something amiss.

Hiding nearby, Li Banfeng took out his Silk-String Earrings and gently tapped them twice.

A voice from the earrings said, "Master, I await your command."

"Listen to their voices."

As the magical item possessed sentience, the Silk-String Earrings trembled slightly, and Li Banfeng clearly heard the conversation between Monkey Qiu and Xiao Yeci.

Monkey Qiu said, "There's a house spirit in this residence. Its level isn't very high, but this is its domain, so it won't be easy to deal with."

Xiao Yeci exclaimed in surprise, "Steward Qiu, so Miss Xiaolan is a house cultivator!"

Qiu Zhiheng shook his head. "She's not a house cultivator. This isn't her house spirit. She's trapped inside this residence."

Xiao Yeci quickly grabbed Lu Chunying and retreated. "Oh my goodness, this is a masterless house spirit! Isn't that a malevolent spirit?"

Li Banfeng mused to himself: *What is Monkey Qiu's purpose here? Xiao Yeci called him Steward Qiu; could he be from the Lu family?*

*Is he here to rescue Lu Xiaolan?*

Qiu Zhiheng stood at the mansion's entrance, motionless for a long time.

His eyes scanned every corner of the courtyard.

Under his gaze, two cats began to roll around.

A group of cats paired up and began to playfully interact with each other.

A mouse scurried out from a corner and embraced a cat.

Another solitary cat clung tightly to a nearby tree and began rubbing against it.

The tree extended its branches, wrapping around another tree.

That tree then extended its branches, entwining with the vines on the villa.

The vines themselves intertwined and tangled together.

Just then, an emaciated Lu Xiaolan struggled to pull open a French window.

"Uncle Qiu, save me!" Lu Xiaolan stuck her head out, saw Monkey Qiu, and cried out with all her might.

Qiu Zhiheng looked towards the French window, peering into the opening, which was less than ten centimeters wide.

To Xiao Yeci, the window appeared pitch black and empty.

Qiu Zhiheng seemed to perceive the house spirit's location, and his pupils constricted sharply.

The entire villa began to shake slightly. Lu Xiaolan used all her strength to pull open the French window further, and relying on the opening, now less than twenty centimeters wide, she struggled to squeeze her entire body out.

The vines hanging on the wall tried to stop her, but they were tightly intertwined and couldn't break free from each other.

Once outside the villa, Lu Xiaolan cast aside the reserve of a refined young lady, frantically ran out of the courtyard, and rushed into Qiu Zhiheng's arms.

She knew this was improper for her status, but she couldn't care less at that moment; she just wanted someone to hug her.

However, Qiu Zhiheng had no intention of hugging her, not only because of Lu Xiaolan's status but also because of her current predicament.

Though the young lady herself was still unaware of her true situation.

Qiu Zhiheng politely stepped away from Lu Xiaolan, leaving her bewildered for a moment. Remembering the distinction between sexes, she shyly hugged Xiao Yeci instead.

Even though she didn't know them, they were there, so they must be her saviors.

"Oh!" Xiao Yeci was flustered by the embrace. "Miss Xiaolan, you, look, what's wrong? Please don't cry, don't be afraid. You're out now, isn't that wonderful?"

Lu Xiaolan cried for a while, then turned to ask Qiu Zhiheng, "Uncle Qiu, how did you know I was here? Did my father send you?"

Qiu Zhiheng shook his head, looking at Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying. "Madam Yeci and Miss Chunying summoned me. They said you wrote them a letter, asking them to find you at the He family's old mansion."

*Madam Yeci?*

*Miss Chunying?*

*Who are they?*

Lu Xiaolan was momentarily stunned, then looked at Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying and said, "I didn't write to you. I don't know you."

Xiao Yeci frowned upon hearing this. "Miss Xiaolan, that's not right to say. We received your letter, which is why we traveled all this way to find you.

We went through a lot of hardship to find you, and now that we've rescued you, you're denying knowing us? That's really not good!"

Lu Chunying tugged on Xiao Yeci's hand, signaling her to be mindful of her words; she certainly didn't look like a wealthy madam at the moment.

Lu Xiaolan remained bewildered, so Xiao Yeci took out a letter, confirmed by Lu Xiaolan's handwriting, and handed it to her.

Lu Xiaolan saw that it was indeed her handwriting!

The letter's general content stated that Lu Xiaolan had been searching for her long-lost sister and had finally found information about her. It requested Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying to immediately come to the He family's old mansion to reunite.

Lu Xiaolan held the letter and shook her head repeatedly. "I didn't write this letter. I truly don't know you."

Xiao Yeci's eyes widened. She wanted to curse but couldn't bring herself to, as it would not befit the demeanor of an educated person. "You, you, you... This is truly unacceptable! What exactly is the meaning of this?"

Lu Xiaolan ignored Xiao Yeci and turned to Qiu Zhiheng. "Uncle Qiu, I need to find someone named Li Banfeng. He's still in Yaowang Valley and doesn't have a travel permit, so he definitely can't leave. We must find him."

Qiu Zhiheng was silent for a moment. "Miss, please come with me to Greenwater Bay first. We can discuss this after we return to the mansion."

Lu Xiaolan shook her head. "I can't return to the mansion. My task isn't finished yet. I must find Li Banfeng. Uncle Qiu, please help me."

Qiu Zhiheng remained silent.

Lu Xiaolan sighed. "If you won't help me, I'll find a way myself."

She *had* to find Li Banfeng, she *had* to find the Profound-Birth Red Lotus, and she *had* to provide an explanation to her family.

This concerned whether she could establish herself in the Lu family in the future!

She turned to leave, but Monkey Qiu blocked her path.

Lu Xiaolan was startled. "Uncle Qiu, what do you mean by this?"

Monkey Qiu said expressionlessly, "Miss, you must return to the mansion with me. I cannot control what happens after you're back, but on this journey, I can ensure your safety."

"Uncle Qiu, what exactly happened?" Lu Xiaolan was a little scared. She had originally thought that after leaving the He family's old mansion, there would be nothing left in this world to fear.

But now she was truly afraid; Qiu Zhiheng's demeanor frightened her.

Qiu Zhiheng pulled a pair of shackles from his coat. "Miss, come back with me. If you don't heed my advice, you'll likely suffer."

Lu Xiaolan was stunned for a long time, offering no further arguments.

She knew she was no match for Qiu Zhiheng.

Qiu Zhiheng walked in front, Lu Xiaolan followed in the middle, and Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying trailed behind.

As they passed the alley corner, Qiu Zhiheng glanced at the wall, sensing someone might be there.

House cultivators possessed a talent for remaining unnoticed, but Qiu Zhiheng's cultivation level was too high, and he detected the faintest trace of presence.

After a careful check, finding no trace of the person, Qiu Zhiheng continued forward. Lu Xiaolan quietly followed behind, innumerable questions churning in her mind.

*What exactly happened?*

*Why must I return to the mansion immediately?*

*Who are these mother and daughter?*

*Who wrote them that letter?*

...

Li Banfeng stepped out of his Portable Dwelling and lit a cigarette.

The narrow Thread-String Alley seemed to be covered by a dark cloud, making it hard for Li Banfeng to breathe.

Lu Xiaolan was out.

She would reveal everything.

If the Lu family wanted the Copper Lotus, they wouldn't spare Li Banfeng.

Fight if you can win; run if you can't.

Could Li Banfeng fight the Lu family?

Most likely not.

The Lu family was the strongest of the four great families in Puluo Prefecture.

So, run.

But where to?

Without a travel permit, Li Banfeng couldn't even leave Yaowang Valley.

If he stayed in Yaowang Valley, the Lu family would search every nook and cranny to find him.

Wait.

*Search every nook and cranny?*

Would they dare?

The Jiangxiang Gang wouldn't dare. They hadn't posted any notices or bounties; from beginning to end, they hadn't dared to publicize this matter.

The Copper Lotus belonged to He Jiaqing, and the Jiangxiang Gang didn't dare to offend the He family, so they wouldn't brazenly seize the Copper Lotus.

Did the Lu family fear offending the He family?

Perhaps not, but they might not be willing to publicize it either, otherwise, they wouldn't have hired a private detective to deal with me.

If they weren't willing to publicize it, I could continue hiding in Yaowang Valley.

Walking to Paifang Street, Li Banfeng glanced at the Feng family's general store.

Now, he could only hope that Shopkeeper Feng would obtain the travel permit as soon as possible. Whether it cost twenty million or thirty million, he needed to save more money before getting the permit, and then immediately leave Puluo Prefecture afterward.

But another question remained before Li Banfeng.

Who exactly had brought Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying here?

It certainly wasn't Lu Xiaolan; apart from Li Banfeng, Lu Xiaolan couldn't contact anyone else, otherwise, she wouldn't have endured here for so long!

Who else could it be besides Lu Xiaolan?

...

At Yuezhou Second Hospital, in Room 302, He Jiaqing, lying in his hospital bed, revealed a slight smile.

He Haisheng, who had been dozing beside the bed, suddenly woke with a start. He looked at He Jiaqing but found nothing unusual.

Yet, he felt as if He Jiaqing had just moved.

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